


Convention Dreams

by MissStory



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: F/M, Friendship/Love, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-11-06 23:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11046690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissStory/pseuds/MissStory
Summary: Ann is at her first convention and standing in line for photo ops, when it happens. She trips over his feet and fall flat on the floor. But the embarrassment change into something else later on, when she get the chance to get to know him better.





	1. Convention time

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story was in progress a long time before I found out that David was a perfect fit as the male character and before I knew it was going to be a fan fiction. At first my thought was a successful lawyer, but after being at a convention, it just seemed right. The Convention environment was the perfect fit for the story. The main character is Ann, but because you are not suppose to know what she went through just yet, it seemed like a good idea to let some of the chapters be from Davids point of view.  
> So far there is not much Supernatural TV show about the story, but I think it will come later on.  
> Just for your information, I don't know David personally, just met him once at Asylum, therefore this character is made entirely from my imagination plus added few observations from the convention and the social medias.

I watched the line in front of me; women, young girls, and the occasional guy who was probably dragged along by his wife or girlfriend. Most of them were talking or laughing, but here and there a girl was standing anxiously grinding her hands, feeling her heart beat too fast and palms getting sweaty. Those were the girls I could relate the most to.

Any moment now he would walk through that door and the line would start moving. I knew that this was going to be over quickly and that he wouldn’t remember me afterwards. He would have his picture taken with hundreds of women today, and me, well, I’m not really a person that people remember.

My friend Lisa tells me that I have beautiful brown “Bambi” eyes, but that is where the compliments stop. I’m an average Jane Doe that no one ever notices in a room. If I vanished, no one would think twice about it. Most times I don’t really care, but a tiny part of me hoped that I would be looked at and seen for who I am. One can dream…

I rolled my eyes, over my own silliness and tried to focus on what was about to happen.

“Oh, I want a big squishy hug!” The girl behind me uttered to her friend with a high pitch voice.

“I want him to be, like, proposing to me,” her friend whined.

I couldn’t help smiling. I didn’t really get why they would have a proposal photo with a man they hardly knew, a true mystery man, but maybe that was it. They couldn’t get the real thing so they wanted the next best; A dream to hold on to. Who could blame them? Not me.

I could hear my mom’s voice very clear from when I told her that I wanted to travel half way around the world to go to a convention.

_You are going where? To New York? All on your own, to see some actors in a TV-show you like? Have you lost your mind? Come on Ann, you are twenty-eight years old! Time to forget about your silly daydreams and find a nice man to settle down with._

Mom never understood my fascination of the show and its actors. For her it was just a TV-show, but for me the cast were people I truly admired for their personalities and the work they did, for getting people to speak up about mental illnesses and other important issues. She just didn’t get it. Not many people I knew understood, not really. It was nice to be among kindred spirits here, even if some of them were a bit too invested, even for my taste.

I couldn’t believe I was finally here, about to meet the man I had been dreaming about meeting ever since I saw him in a Christmas movie a year ago.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed.

“There he is!” Whined the girl behind me, and all around the room girls were getting all fired up.

He was looking very posh in his royal blue suit, white shirt, pink and purple tie with a matching handkerchief in the breast pocket. His black hair was adorably messy as if he had been in a hurry this morning. Dark shadows where caressing his chin and cheeks.

 “Hello, ladies,” he said with a big smile. “let’s get this thing started.”

And the show did indeed start. One after one, the women and men got their picture taken with him. Some wanted hugs, others wanted poses that were of a sexual nature and some wanted silly ones. I really hadn’t thought of a pose, I just wanted to hug him and maybe say that I loved his work and admired his persona.

Before I knew it, I was next in line and a not-so-happy volunteer, stressed because of the delay, rushed me to go ahead. David turned his head and looked at me with a smile, a genuine one, that caught me totally off guard, I couldn’t move.

“Come on, go now. People are waiting.” The volunteer hissed.

I was like a deer in the headlights, caught by his pearly white smile and his amazing grey-blue eyes. He seemed to understand quite quickly what was happening. He walked over and took me by the arm.

“Are you okay Sweetie?” He asked with a soft, husky voice.

“I… I…can’t.” I stammered and turned around looking for a way out. The volunteer was sending me an annoyed glance.

“Wait a second hon,” David said still holding on to my arm. He turned me around, so I was facing him again. He placed a hand on each side of my head and looked me straight into the eyes. I felt like was going to die right there and then. “You can do this! I know you can,” he said with a sincerity that took me by surprise.

I started to calm down and when he began to walk, I followed him, as he guided me to the spot behind the tape line on the floor.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“A... Ann,” I somehow managed to say.

“Ann, that is a lovely name. So, Ann, what do you want me to do?”

_Whatever you’d like to do…_

“Uhm… A hug maybe?”

“Good choice,” he said with a smile so big that the small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes became visible. He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me with his head resting against mine. I took a deep breath and could feel him smile against my hair.

I didn’t really understand how it was possible, but in that short moment I felt safe and protected, like nothing bad could ever hurt me if he was there.

“1-2-3.” The Photographer counted and took the picture.

It was over all too soon and before I knew it, he was pulling away from me. It felt like my heart was breaking. How could this be possible? This guy was a mystery to me and still he had this enormous power over me.

“You did well hon.” he said and lead me on the way.

I wanted to tell him how much I loved his acting and his presence on Twitter. He had answered a couple of tweets of mine and liked a lot more of them. But I was sure he had no idea who I was. He would probably find me silly and laugh, so I turned to walk away. The next thing happened so fast that I didn’t have time to react before the damage was done.

As I started walking something caught my leg and I fell over. In a moment that felt like forever, I prayed, as hard as I could, _please don’t fall… Please don’t let me fall…_

“Oh shit!” David exclaimed beside me and grabbed my left arm, but it was too late. He lost his grip and I hit the floor, hand first, like a sack of potatoes.

I heard the bone breaking before I felt the pain. With closed eyes, I smothered a scream. A joined gasp came from the others in the room and then whispering.

“Oh, my gosh, are you alright Ann?” David was there instantly, helping me up and so did a volunteer from the opposite of the room. “Ye-ah… I’m fine.” I murmured through clenched teeth. It was so awkward and I just wanted to get out of there, so I put on my best “everything is okay” face.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to trip you like that. Me and my giant feet.”

“No, no… I’m fine Sir. Don’t worry. It’s nothing.” I put on a brave smile and hoped he would believe it.

“Okay, if you are sure. But you really should get that arm checked out.”

“Don’t worry David. I’ll make sure she is okay.” The volunteer came to my rescue.

“Okay, good. Thanks, Luna.” David looked at me, with worry in his eyes. But before I could reassure him, that I was okay, the not so nice volunteer from before had pushed the next fan forward and David had to go on with his photos.

“Come along Ann.” Luna smiled and took my left hand.

“I need my bag.” I said and looked over her shoulder. David was busy taking photos and had clearly forgotten all about me already.

_You were right mom. He would never notice someone like me. Not even when I fall flat on my face._

“What does your bag look like?” Luna asked and pulled me away from my thoughts.

“It’s the black one over there.”

Luna went over and got my bag and my photo before she guided me out a door to one of the hallways, where guests were not allowed.

“Okay, let me look at that arm of yours.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine,” I lied. Something was without a doubt wrong.

“Listen, I’m a nurse okay? I just want to make sure nothing is broken.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I placed my arm into her hands.

“Sorry Sweetheart, it looks broken to me,” she said, when I flinched by her touch. “We should get you to a hospital, so they can fix it.”

“No, it’s okay. I still have a photo with Adam and I don’t want to miss getting his and David’s autographs as well…”

“Don’t you worry about that hon. I will figure something out when you get back, okay?” Luna said giving my should a squeeze. “You just get your lovely behind to the hospital and I will take care of the rest.”

“Are you sure? It doesn’t hurt that much,” I said while a single tear fell down my cheek.

“You may have been able to fool Mr. Blue eyes in there. But you don’t fool me Honey. I can see the pain shining through your eyes. Now get going and when you come back find me.”

 

Four hours later I walked through the door of the hotel doped up on pain medicine with my right arm in a cast up to my elbow. Luckily it hadn't taken as long as it would have back home, in Denmark.

It was now 9 pm on Sunday evening and the hotel halls was almost empty. The attendees where probably all on their way home or in their rooms. I found my way to the main hall, but couldn’t find Luna anywhere, only people gathering chairs and tearing down the stage. The cast had surely left the place already and I was tired and my arm had begun to hurt again. I decided that I might as well go to bed. No reason to run around the hotel searching for someone that wasn’t there.

I pressed the button by the side of the elevator and waited. A little part of me had hoped, that Luna would keep her promise, but that hope had been shattered now and I would probably never see him again. Damn those big feet I laughed to myself.

“Ann… Wait up!”

I turned around and found Luna running towards me.

“Phew. I’m so glad I didn’t miss you.” She said panting a bit.

“I thought everybody had gone home by now.”

“Nah a promise, is a promise,” Luna said with a big smile. “I have Adam waiting for you in the photo studio.”

I looked at her, not being able to hide my surprise. She gave me a big smile.

“You kept him here for my sake?”

“Sure, thing hon, come on.” Luna took my good hand and dragged me along all the corridors back to the photo studio. “Let’s go say hi, shall we?”

“Uhm… Okay,” I said, feeling shy suddenly. I was going to meet Adam alone. No other fans around to see it.

Luna opened the door and gestured for me to go first. Sure thing, in the other end of the room stood Adam, engaged in a conversation with no other than David. I stopped for a moment, not believing my own eyes. Luna cleared her throat and both guys turned around and looked directly at us.

“There you are love,” Adam said walking towards me with open arms. “How are you?”

“Uhm… good, thank you, Mr. Fergus,” I stammered.

“Adam, please. Mr. Fergus is an elderly man with a huge white beard and loads of wrinkles,” he said and winked at me. I couldn’t help myself and ended up giggling like a crazy person. Must have been the effect of the pain medicine or something....

“Adam.” I couldn’t help smiling, when I said his name.

“I have to go for a moment. Gentlemen, you’d better take good care of this lady.” Luna said before leaving the room.

“Sure thing, Luna. We got this.” Adam shouted after her.

“Hey there. How are you?” David had joined us, his expression full of guilt as he looked at my arm. “Broken?”

“A few places. But I’m good, thank you.” I can’t stop myself from giggling again. “That medicine they gave me worked wonders,” I said trying to explain why I acted like a complete nutcase.

“Uhm… Good. I’m really sorry…” he started.

“It’s okay. It was an accident bound to happen. I’m so clumsy.” A tiny smile appearing in the corner of his mouth and I’m sure that a sparkle appeared in his eyes. He seemed to find it amusing. Probably because I sounded a bit tipsy.

“Okay guys, let’s get going. I need to get this packed up” the photographer said from the corner, where the printers where set up.

“Sure, thing Bob-O, let’s do it!” Adam replied. “So, what pose would you like for the photo little Miss Clumsy? Marriage proposal, prom…?”

“Nah, a hug will do, “I said like it was the most normal in the world.

“One big bear hug coming up,” Adam said and pulled me in for a hug. I couldn’t help laughing a bit. He was just such a cuddly sweetheart.

David was standing alongside the photographer and just for a split-second I would have bet my old hat, that he looked like, he was a bit… jealous. Nah it must have been my fan girl fantasy taking some liberties.

“So, what now? How about a sandwich?” Adam said all ready to keep going.

“Uhm, I only paid for that one photo.”

“No worries, this one will be on us,” David added and joined in. And suddenly I found myself in between these two very handsome guys. I was hugging Adam and David was hugging me from behind. I could feel his breath in my hair and the small hairs on my arm rose. It felt so nice and I never wanted it to end. But as every good thing must come to an end, it did when the Bob said “Got it. I’ll have it ready for you in a minute,” before he went to the printer.

“Thank you so much for waiting guys. I really do appreciate it.” I said, amazed how brave I was feeling after that hug.

“No biggies Annie, happy to do it.” Adam said with a smile.

Oh, that Irish accent could make every woman weak in her knees. Me totally being one of them.

“Yeah, and it was sort of me and my giant feet’s fault, that you had to miss out on it earlier,” David added with a big grin.

I have no idea where the sudden courage came from, and I hardly believed my own ears when I heard myself saying; “You know what they say about men with big feet right?” and then a huge grunting laugh. I’m sure my cheeks were turning the same color as a tomato, at that point.

“No, what do they say?” David teased. No doubt he had heard it before.

“Uhm, I forgot.” I said sheepishly.

“Here you go.” Bob appeared by my side handing me the photos. I looked at them and found them to be quite good. They guys sure looked like they enjoyed it as well.

“Thank you both,” I said stretching out my hand to thank them.

“Ah c’mon, we are mates now.” Adam pulled me in for yet another amazing hug.

“Oh…” was all that I could say. He caught me by surprise.

“I was wondering if you had something to eat? Maybe you would like to join Adam and I for a late tea?”

“Well there wasn’t any real food at the hospital. But I really don’t want to disturb your dinner David. I mean, you have been taking photos and talked to fans all day. I’m sure you are tired and would like to relax and have some privacy. I really appreciate…”

“We are good, right Adam?” David intervened.

“Sure, thing Davey. Please join us Ann,” Adam added with his charming smile.

“How can I say no to that?”

“You simply can’t.” Adam took my bag from my shoulder. “After you miss.”

_I’m going to dinner with Adam Fergus and David Haydn-Jones. Oh, my Chuck! I have died and gone to heaven. Oh no I’m going to dinner with Adam Fergus and David Haydn-Jones, what am I going to say?_

 

They took me to a restaurant not far from the hotel called “Little Italy”. It was a small restaurant, but they still managed to have a small dancefloor in the garden where we were sat. In the background music was playing over the speakers and occasionally a couple would go up dancing.

“Do you fancy some wine Ann?” Adam asked overlooking the wine menu.

“I’m not really a wine girl, but I would love some sparkling water.”

“Sparkling water for the lady it is. What about you, Davey?”

David didn’t answer and when I looked up at him from behind the menu, his eyes were on me but he was far away in his thoughts.

“David?” I asked and lowered the menu. That seemed to get him back to reality.

“Yes?” he asked, baffled. He looked tired now.

“Are you okay?” I asked him, trying not to sound too worried.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit knackered.”

“Uhm, knackered?” I asked, finding myself feeling foolish for not knowing what that meant.

“Uhm, sorry. It means tired. British…” a weary smile on his lips.

“Oh… right.” I tried to sound casual, while beating myself up for not figuring that out. “ Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have room service and relax at the hotel? I will be fine on my own.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m fine and we enjoy the company. Right Adam?”

“Indeed, we do. Not every day we have a lady at our table.”

I wondered if they always talked liked that or if they were just doing it to make me blush. Boys!

The waiter came to the table and took our orders.

“So, where are you from Ann?” Adam asked, while the waiter served our beverages.

“I’m from Denmark, a small town outside Copenhagen that you probably never heard of.”

“Wow, and you travelled all the way here to meet me? I mean us?” Adam joked and gave David and elbow in the side.

“Yeah, I tried inviting you back home, but you never answered the invitation. So, if Mohammed won’t come to the mountain…”

“Ah, we got us a sassy girl here Davey. What a treat.”

“Don’t mind him. Adam is a goofball.” David placed his hand on top on mine, giving it a little squeeze. “So, what do you do, when not watching the small TV-Show we are in and traveling the world?”

“Sorry guys, got to hit the loo.” Adam said and left us.

“The toilet.” I must have looked confused, because David felt a need to explain it for me.

“Thanks, but that one I knew,” I said still looking down on his hand holding mine.

“Oh, you just looked a bit confused.”

“I wasn’t… just didn’t want him to leave me here, alone with y…” Shit! I couldn’t believe that I said that out loud. It must have been the medicine. I couldn’t be that dumb. David’s expression changed from surprised to hurt and he removed his hand from mine.” No, it’s not like that, sorry!”

“Not like what?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s just… you…” I don’t know how I looked, but I felt really embarrassed.

“Me?” He paused and waited for me to finish my sentence.

“I kind of have a thing for you okay? … And I don’t really know what to say. I made a total fool out of myself earlier falling flat on my face…”

“I seem to remember me giving you a helping… foot.” a smile ascended in the corner of his mouth.

“It’s just so embarrassing and I don’t want you to think that I’m a… well…”

“A what? A very beautiful woman, that happen to fall for me?” he teased.

“Not really helping here…” I muttered.

“Okay. Sorry I couldn’t help myself. I’m going to behave now.” He said just as the waiter came with our dinner. “Listen, you don’t have to worry about feeling foolish or anything like that. We are just ordinary people.”

“You are anything but ordinary. I mean your smile alone…” I stopped and felt the heat rising in my cheeks.

_Ann your big dumbass. You don’t tell the man you have a crush on, things like this. And especially not this man. Shut up now!_

“Ahh the food is here. I’m starving,” Adam said from behind and made me jump in my seat. Saved by the bell!

“Yeah, me too.” David added and started eating.

David and I let the awkward moment go and soon the conversation went smoothly. I told them about home, my work and my interests. To my surprise, they told a few stories from their life and their experience from going to conventions and with fans. Despite the awkward not so graceful beginning, the rest of the dinner went well. I did catch David looking, at me several times. I just hoped he didn’t find me to weird.

“Oh, I love this song,” I exclaimed, when “All I ask of you” from Phantom of the Opera filled the air.

“Me too,” David agreed. He held his hand out to me. “May I have this dance?”

“I… I don’t really dance. Clumsy feet you know.”

“Go on, hon. Dave is an imminent dancer. He will keep you safe,” Adam said with a big grin.

“Uhm. Okay.” I stood up and let David lead me to the dance floor. He twirled me around, before placing his free hand on my hip, carefully pulling me closer without tugging too much on my broken arm. And there I was, dancing with Mr. David Haydn-Jones in an Italian restaurant. Who would have thought of that? Not me!

“So, you have a thing for me?” he whispered in my ear.

“David, please,” I sighed.

“I’m not teasing you, Ann. I’m just curious. That’s all…”  His finger lifting my chin up so I met those beautiful grey-blue eyes. A genuine smile met me. “I mean, you do know that I’m just an ordinary chap blessed with an interesting job, right?”

“Yes, I know that David.”

“Okay, just wanted to make sure.” He twirled me around again, leaving me all dizzy, so my grip on him tightens.

“But yes, I have a thing for you,” I finally admitted. “Every time you look at me like… like that… I can’t breathe and my heart starts going nuts.” For some reason, I find myself feeling brave enough to share. “I mean I don’t really know anything about you. My guess is that you have a wife/husband/fiancé due to the ring on your finger, but it could also be an heirloom.” I feel silly for saying all these things, but now that I have started, I can’t seem to stop myself.” All I know is what I see on Twitter and at conventions. And what I see is an amazingly handsome guy with such a big heart. And I’m just me… But sometimes you look at me like…”

“Like what?” he said looking at me with genuine curiosity

“Sometimes, when you look, at me it feels like… like you actually see me.”

He seemed to think about that, while he twirled me once again.

 “I can’t explain it any better okay?”

“Okay, I will let it go now,” he says, pulling me even closer.

“Thank you,” I sigh relieved and we dance a while in silence.

I close my eyes and am being swept away in the music.

_Say you'll love me every waking moment. Turn my head with talk of summer time. Say you need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true. That's all I ask of you…_ _  
_ Without even thinking about it I found myself singing along and when I open my eyes, he gazes at me with this quirky look. I was afraid, that he might laugh at me, but then his lips start moving. He is miming to the song and my heart melts.

_Let me be your shelter. Let me be your light. You're safe, no one will find you. Your fears are far behind you…  
_ I can’t help myself from staring, at him like a lovesick puppy. He keeps surprising me. When the song is about to end, he draws me even closer and I place my head on his shoulder.

“Just so you know it…” Okay here it comes I think rolling my eyes. “You too affect me and I do see you. There is nothing “just” about you.” He whispers close to my ear and the little hairs on my arms and back rises, but in a good way. “You are a very beautiful woman. Those beautiful brown eyes of yours have made my heart skip a beat or two.”

“You are joking, right?” I can’t believe what he is telling me.

“Oh, no love, I’m not joking,” he says taking a small step back, looking very serious. “But, I’m a married man and I should not feel this way about anyone but my wife.”

“I understand…” I answer, feeling like my heart could break in a million pieces anytime now.

“Do you? Understand?” he asks with a husky voice.

“Yes, I understand…” Well I think I understand or maybe I don’t.

“Good, because…”

“Okay guys, do you mind if we call it a night? We got an early flight and it’s almost midnight.” We have been so focused on each other that we didn’t notice Adam coming over.

“Sure, that’s fine. I’m getting a bit tired anyway,” I say. Not that I really want to stop dancing with David.

“Sure thing, we better get some shut-eye.” David agrees and let go of me.

_No no please don’t let me go. Not yet…_

“I’ll just pay for dinner and we will be on the way.” Adam disappear again.

“Thank you for dinner and the dance,” I say feeling sad.” And for staying late…”

“Our pleasure hon.” David says with a tiny smile. Suddenly there seems to be a distance between us and I don’t really understand why the tone has changed. “Let me find your coat.” And then David is gone as well, leaving me standing alone on the dance floor.

 

“Are you certain, that you don’t want us to walk you back to your hotel?” David asks again.

“Yes, I’m sure. It’s only like a ten-minute walk and I need some fresh air. But thank you for asking.” I answer, hoping he would object a little more and walk me back anyway.

“Okay, I guess this is goodbye then.” David looks at me with a look I can’t really place. Disappointment? Worry? I don’t know. Maybe just fatigue.

“It’s been lovely getting to know you, Ann,” Adam says and give me a big hug.

“Yes, it has been a pleasure indeed.” David agrees and give me a hug as well.

“Thank you both. Have a safe flight tomorrow… Good night.”

“Bye, Ann. Get home safely.”

“I will, David. Bye.” I turn around and start walking. For some reason tears have decided to show up now. I don’t want him to see them, so I wait a bit before looking back to wave to them. But they have already disappeared around a corner.

At least I would always have the memories of this magical night and David dancing with me.

_What a nigh Ann… What a ni..._


	2. The news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David get some bad news and ends up making a drastic decision, but a mysterious woman comes into his lave in the last minute and then everything changes.

He was going over his Twitter feed one last time before going on stage. It had been quite busy lately. Ever since people found out that he liked most of their tweets and sometimes even answered back, the tweets had been doubling. He enjoyed getting the feedback from fans liking or disliking his character and acting. But he also felt obligated to like as many as possible, so that his followers wouldn’t be disappointed.

Okay, so a few fans had a difficult time figuring out that David wasn’t Artur Ketch and that he didn’t kill Mick Davies. But it was only a few of the thousands of fans, so he could manage. Mostly he received lots of love and support and that he appreciated the most.

Since he had joined the convention circuit, he had gotten the opportunity to meet the fans face to face and that made his day every time.

The past year had been tough on him. Losing the love of his live had almost brought him to his knees and now and then he felt everything slip between his hands.

Now he was back in New Jersey for yet another convention. But this time something felt off. He couldn’t quite put his hand on what made this convention different.

“Hey David, good to see you. How are you today?”

“Hi Luna, good to see you, love. I’m doing well. And you?” he asked, genuinely interested in hearing what she had to say. Luna had been one of the first handlers/volunteers he had worked with. Despite being a true fangirl she kept it professional all the time and he appreciated that.

“I really don’t know. Something feels a bit off this time around. I guess it’s because it’s been a year now,” she said with a sadness in her eyes.

That was a big surprise to David. How could she know it had been almost a year since he lost his wife? She was a fan, but he kept his private life very private. For heaven’s sake, he didn’t even tell people his birthday or age for that matter. There hadn’t been any articles or photos on any social media websites, had there? So how did she know?

“I’m surprised you know and remember that,” he said.

To be continued...

“How could I not remember her? She was such a kind and lovely person.” A tear fell down her cheek and she dried it of quickly and sent him an awkward smile.

“Did you know her well?” He asked, curious to find the connection between her and his wife.

“Not really, just meet her that one time,” she looked out the window with a sad smile in the corner of her mouth. “She was so kind to all the other attendees and then she just had so much bad luck.”

“Attendees? Bad luck? Luna, are we talking about the same person?”

“I don’t know. I’m talking about Ann. You know the woman that broke her arm, at the photo studio. You remember?”

“Oh… yeah I remember Ann,” he said with a subtitle smile. “She was a lovely woman. Quite shy, didn't have the biggest confidence in herself.”

“True. I can’t believe they haven’t found her yet. It’s just such a sad story. Don’t you think?” Luna gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

“Haven’t found her? What do you mean?” he stood up abruptly. “What happened to her?”

“Oh, that poor girl. They found her purse and wallet in an alley not far from here. It was actually just down the road not far from the Italian restaurant called Little Italy. They also found some of her blood on the bag. The police don’t know if she was kidnapped or killed. No one have seen or heard from her since that day.”

He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He needed some air and he just had to get out of there.

“David, you look very pale. Are you sure, you are okay?” Luna asked her voiced filled with concern.

“No, I’m not okay. I think I’m gonna be sick… I need some air…Sorry.” He grabbed his jacket and hurried out the door. He just needed to get out, away from everything. He heard her calling his name several times and then he heard Dick calling as well, but nothing could stop him.

He began running as fast he could and he didn’t look back or noticed where he ran. He kept going till he couldn’t run anymore and found himself standing on a bridge.

_It kind of feels like fate, ending up here… I’m so sorry Ann. I should have walked you back to your hotel. This happened because of me and I’m so sorry…_

David just felt it everything getting out of hand. He had tried to go on as he promised his wife before she took her last breath. He tried, he really had. But lately he just found himself not being able to cope anymore. Wherever he went, he saw her face and sometimes he even heard her voice calling to him. Maybe this was her way of telling him, that it was okay. That he had done his best and she was waiting for him on the other side.

And now this with Ann. How could he go on, knowing that he could have prevented this, if he had just been the gentleman he should have been and walked her home. And why hadn’t he done that. Because he was afraid that he might end up cheating on his wife? They hadn’t been intimate for a while because of the illness and he had missed being close to someone. The gentle touches and kisses. Ann had been a nice fresh breath to his otherwise tough life and she had awoken something in him.

She had admitted right there and then that she had a thing for him and he had found it exiting and somewhat arousing. This woman so beautiful and shy had a thing for him. He remembered, that he was tempted to give it a try. But when all came down to it he truly loved his wife and could never do that to her.

So, he had let Ann down after playing a bit with her. He had enjoyed seeing the effect he had on her and he was ashamed to admit it, but he had fallen for her the second she looked at him with those hazel brown eyes in the photo studio, just before she took her fall. So beautiful and full of life.

“Oh, dearest Ann… I’m so sorry,” he exclaimed. He couldn’t do this anymore. Thinking of her held captive somewhere or even worse, stone cold and dead made, him sick. This was his fault and he knew it. “I’m sorry!” he yelled out over the endless body of water.

He started climbing the fence, that was there to prevent people of doing exactly what he had in mind. It was not easy to do, and he slipped a couple of times before he got to the top so he could swing his leg over on the other side. Cars where driving by, but no one seemed to notice him and he was fine with that. He closed his eyes, ready to jump out from the bridge and never having to feel this pain again.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered and started turning.

Out of nowhere he felt two hands grapping him and dragging him back into safety. He landed on the hard concrete with bump and so did his savior. He heard the moaning of the person right beside him. He felt his chest retracting and then came the tears, but he didn’t care anymore. Why should he?

Unexpectedly his rescuer pulled him into their arms and held him there, comforting him. David just let go, and allowed all the tears he had hidden inside for the past year to flow. Not caring about being strong like everybody expected him to be. Right here and now he needed to be comforted and this person didn’t seem to mind. Nothing needed to be put into words and he just surrendered.

 

How long they were sitting there, he didn’t know, but he had begun to shiver and it had started to darken around them. Drained from energy by all the tears, he lifted his head to see his savior. As soon as he started to move, she let go of him and got on her feet. She stood there for a moment and he had a good look at her.

Her long light brown hair was all dirty and clumped into small lumps. She was thin, he could feel her bones, when she had held on to him. Her clothes where too thin for the season, not to speak of all the holes in them. He wanted to see her face, but the shadows and darkness didn’t allow him to do so. She tilted her head a bit and looked at him for a moment. Maybe to see if he was going to give it a try again, but he was too tired to even consider it.

“Thank you.” He said with a hoarse voice. She didn’t say anything. Just stood there looking at him. “What is your name?”. Still no answer.

She remained a mystery to him. All he knew was that she was stronger than she looked. After all she had pulled him back over the railing and he wasn’t a small fellow.

“Please tell me your name,” he said while getting on his feet.

She took a couple of steps back.

“You saved my life. Please tell me your name or at least let me see who saved me,” he pleaded.

He took a couple of steps towards her and again she backed away. It was clear, that she was afraid of getting to close to him, now that he wasn’t falling apart anymore.

“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to thank you properly. Help you, if you’ll let me.”

She turned around and started walking away from him with a slight limp on her left leg. She was not okay, and he couldn’t just let her disappear. Not her as well.

“Please don’t go!” He shouted in panic, when she was almost at the end of the bridge. “I will jump again, if you leave me!” It was a lie, but he was desperate and he figured, she wouldn’t save his life just to see him jump. He knew he was right when she stopped walking.

He walked towards her very slowly and this time she stood still. The light from one of the bridge lamps shinned on her from above, and she seemed almost ghost like. He was standing right in front of her now, arms down by his side. He didn’t want to scare her away.

“Please tell me your name love.” She shook her head and looked down upon the ground. “If you won’t tell me your name, at least let me see your face.” At first, she didn’t move and he was about to ask her again, when she slowly lifted her head, looking directly at him.  

“Oh my God,” he whispered.  He couldn’t see her face clearly for all the dirt, but she did look like a ghost, pale white with dark eyes.

“You must be hungry. Please allow me to at least give you something to eat and maybe a shower and some new clothes, so that you won’t freeze when winter comes.” She shook her head, but didn’t turn away and he felt a little hope. “Please I’m begging you. Let me do this for you.”

After what seemed like forever, she finally nodded and he was filled with relief.

 

It had taken some persuasion to have the taxi driver let her inside his car. But with a promise of an extra big tip, he finally agreed. Then the struggle with getting her into the taxi had begun. When he went in and sat beside her, she opened the door and went out. She clearly didn’t trust him or the driver. So finally, he sat on the passenger seat, and she stayed in the back seat.

All the way back to the hotel he was keeping an eye on her in the rearview mirror, not sure what to think about the whole situation.

At the hotel, he went around the taxi, wanting to hold the door for her. He slowly held out his hand to help her out. She hesitated, but finally put her hand in his.

It was now almost midnight, so the other cast members would still be at the concert. They could sneak in without anyone noticing them.

At the elevator, it took a little persuasion to get her inside. The mirrors where scaring her and it wasn’t until he went in and stood in front of them, that she followed. She stood by the door, keeping a hand on it like she was ready to run as soon as it opened, if she needed to.

“This way,” David said softly, when they arrived at the right floor. He pointed down the hall to where his room was. She followed his finger and then pointed the same way. He guessed that she wanted him to go first, so he started walking towards room 2113.

“This is my room,” he said while opening the door. “Go ahead.”

She hesitated again, but then she seemed to let her guard down and stepped into the room. He gave her some space and then followed. “Okay, so this is my home for the week. Feel free to have a look around if you want to.”

The phone on the desk began ringing, startling her.

“It’s alright, nothing to worry about, okay?” He went over and answered “Hello?”.

“David! Oh, my god it’s so good to hear your voice. The receptionist told us you were back. Where the bloody hell have you been? We had to call the police and all.”

“I’m sorry, Adam. I just haven’t been feeling so good today. I just had to get some air.”

“Jesus Davey, have you any idea how worried we all have been? Luna is right here beside me looking seriously scary. So, you might want to have a good apology ready for tomorrow buddy.” He could hear the relief in his friend’s voice. “Are you sure that you are okay, D.?” Adam asked again.

“Honestly, I wasn’t earlier today, but I am now. I just need a good night’s sleep and I promise that I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, okay?” David turned around to see, what mystery woman was up to, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Sorry buddy, gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow and please give Luna my apologies.” Then he hung up and went out into the bathroom.

 She was standing in front of the mirror watching herself skeptically. For a moment he stood there looking at her, watching her study her own reflection like it was the first time she had seen it.

“Uhm, I’m going to order room service now. Is there anything special you would like to eat?”

She looked at him in the mirror and then shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, I’m going to order a little of everything then. There’s a towel behind the door you can use. Shower gel and shampoo is in the shower.”

She didn’t move, just stood there looking at him. He got the feeling that she wanted him to leave. “Okay, I’ll order the food and find you something to wear,” he said before leaving the bathroom.

He called Room Service, but they were closed because of the late time. Then he called the front desk and talked to a very nice lady named Claire. She said the kitchen was closed, but when David explained why he needed something to eat, she said that she would work something out.

Twenty minutes later Claire knocked on the door with a tray filled with sandwiches, soft drinks and snacks. He thanked her and gave her a big tip, but she denied taking it, and said he could put it towards his favorite charity project. He was constantly amazed by the loving and caring people he met and this time was no difference.

After saying good night to Claire, he found one of his T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. They had to do until he could buy her clothes that would fit her properly in the morning. He knocked on the bathroom door and as he expected, there was no answer. He could hear the water running, so he figured he could hurry in and place the clothes and out again without seeing too much.

David closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them again and turned the door knob. The sight meeting him made his heart skip a beat and he froze.

She was standing in front of the mirror, naked. But it was not the fact that she was naked, that made him stop. It was the cuts and bruises visible all over her body. She didn’t even seem to have noticed his presence.

She had put her wet hair up with a rubber band, which made her neck visible and the reddish mark on her throat. He felt sick to his stomach when he realized that someone probably had tried to choke her. Possibly the reason why she hadn’t said a word since they met. He let his gaze slide over her back, that was filled with more wounds and marks. A few fresh ones, still not healed properly, but most of them where old and had left scars. Around her wrist and ankles there were marks, that could indicate that she had been tied up and struggled to get away.

He let his eyes glance up her body again until he reached her face. A single tear ran down her left cheek and she was breathing heavily. He could finally see her properly and had she not been so scarily thin and starved, she would be a very beautiful woman. She seemed familiar to him but it wasn't until his eyes met hers in the mirror that he recognized her. Those big, beautiful, brown eyes. He would recognize anywhere.

“Oh my God! Ann?” he exclaimed.


	3. Less than three you

He couldn’t stop himself. Before he knew it, he had walked over in front of her and pulled her into his arms. “Oh Ann. I’m so sorry!” he sobbed into her hair.

They stood like that for a while, before he realized that she was shivering. David took a step back and found her standing there with eyes wide open with fear.

“Shit, I’m sorry Ann, I didn’t think. I’m so so sorry.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair that was getting a bit too long. He just kept hurting her without even realizing it. “I’m going into the bedroom. You can take your time and come in when you are ready,” he said while handing her the clothes that he had dropped on the floor. Then left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

_What the hell are you doing Dave. Think!_

He changed into a T-shirt and boxers and sat on the bed and turned on the TV. But he didn’t really pay attention to what program was on. He was too busy worrying about what had happened and what he should do when she came in. She had looked so scared and it hurt him deeply, that he was the cause of her fear.

After what seemed forever, the water was turned off in the bathroom. He could hear her rummaging around and after another eternity the door was opened and she cautiously entered the room. Ann kept standing by the door like she was assessing the situation.

“Hey,” he said, feeling foolish like a teen having a girl over for the first time. “There’s some sandwiches over there, at the table, and I didn’t know what you wanted to drink, so I got a little of everything from the minifridge. Just go ahead and take what you want.”

David followed her every move as she walked over to the desk and picked up a sandwich and a glass of apple juice. Then she turned around and looked him straight in the eyes. It looked like she was trying to figure out what to do next. Finally, she decided to go to the other side of the bed and sat down beside him.

The news where on and she studied them with surprise. She had been away for so long and when she saw president Trump, the sandwich almost ended up in the wrong throat. Ann looked, at him with surprise painted all over her face.

“Yeah it’s been a crazy year love.” Her expression changed again, this time he couldn’t read what it meant. He wondered how much she remembered from the last year and a question felt more important than any other. He turned so he was facing her and took a deep breath.

She turned her head, looked at him and awaited.

“Do you remember who you are?”

She looked down on the half-eaten sandwich for a moment, then she nodded.

“Ann, do you remember who I am?”

She looked up and hazel brown eyes met grey-blue. It was like she looked straight into his soul and he began to feel a little uncomfortable. What would she see if she looked deep enough?

Suddenly she turned away from him and stood up. He held his breath and followed her every movement. She went to the table and sat down the plate and bottle of juice. Then she returned to the bed and sat on her knees facing him. She placed a hand on each of his cheeks and gazed into his eyes.

David’s heart was beating so fast in his chest, that he was sure she could hear it. Did she remember him? Did she know that he was to blame for, what happened to her?

They sat like that for a while and when he was about to beg Ann to let him know, she caressed his cheeks and nodded. A sigh of relief escaped him.

“Oh Ann, I’m so sorry, that I scared you before. I was just so happy to see you here and alive.” He felt a tear running down his cheek and she wiped it gently away with her thumb. “When I found out this morning, that you had gone missing a year ago I died. I regret so much, that I didn’t walk you to your hotel. I could have prevented this and I cou…” She shook her head and stopped him from rambling on by placing a finger on his lips.

“Ann, why are you not furious with me?” he mumbled underneath her finger. He was to blame and she should have been screaming and shouting at him by now. Maybe if her throat hadn’t been hurt she would have.

Then she overwhelmed him by making the Less Than Three You sign.

“You less than three me?”

She shrugged her shoulders, tilted her head and smiled nervously. That made him so happy and he smiled back. “I less than three you too Ann. Have ever since you fell for me,” he said and smiled.

Ann rolled her eyes and smiled back. Her smile turned into a yawn and he realized how late it was. Tomorrow he had to face not only his friends but also his fans for more pictures, panels and autographs.  He still had a ton of questions, but this had to be it for now.

“Tired?” he asked, although he knew the answer. She nodded as expected. “I’ll go get ready then,” he raised himself from the bed. “You’ll take the bed and I’ll sleep on the couch. I am sure there is an extra duvet and pillow somewhere.” He went over and found both in the closet. “Tomorrow is going to be busy for me with the convention. But you can stay here as long as you like, okay?”

As he expected she didn’t answer, but as soon as he had placed the duvet and pillow on the couch she went over and threw her arms around him. He followed her lead and hugged her back. The feeling of her in his arms felt so right, it felt like… home. They stood like that for a while and didn’t let go until another yawn came over her lips. She took as step back and looked up, at him with tired eyes.

“Now get to bed will ya,” he said with a grin. “You need your beauty sleep and so do I.” He turned away and walked towards the bathroom door. She followed him with her eyes.

When David came back into the bedroom he was surprised to find Ann snuggled up on the sofa fast asleep. He couldn't have been in the bathroom for more than ten minutes.

He thought to himself that it might had been a long time since she had felt safe like this. No wonder she fell asleep so quickly. He couldn't help himself and went over and kissed her upon her head. This beautiful woman had saved his life tonight and despite whatever she had been through she trusted him enough to stay. He knew he somehow had to convince her to go to the hospital tomorrow. But for now, she needed a good night's sleep and so did he.

He went to bed and turned off the light and for the first time in ages he fell asleep straight away.

The sleep didn't last very long though. Sniffling sounds woke him.

"Ann? Sweetie are you Okay?" He whispered in the dark. The sobbing continued as he turned on the light. Ann was sitting up, tears running down her cheeks. He managed to suppress the urge to go to her and wrap her in his arms.

"Ann? You okay?" He asked again.

Big scared eyes met his as she stood up from the sofa and went to the bed opposite side of him. She didn't seem sure of what she wanted and stood there for a moment. When David extended his arm to her she climbed in and snuggled close to him. He pulled her closer.

"It’s going to be okay Ann. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."  He whispered softly.

To be continued...


	4. Lost & Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David comes back from a long day at the convention to find out his worst fears have yet again come true

“And we are done.” Bob said with a tired smile, as he started packing up his equipment.  

“Perfect.” David responded and started walking towards the door. It had been a long day with all the panels, photos and autographs, and most of the time his mind had been elsewhere. 

It had taken a lot of persuasion to get Ann to agree on going to the hospital for a checkup. At first, she had refused, but when he had told her how much it would mean to him, she had finally caved, and he hadn’t had a peaceful moment since he left her in the Green Room with Luna. 

Luna had looked like she could have killed him when he first entered the hotel. With good cause, because he had left them all hanging the day before. She had told him off until she noticed Ann standing behind him. Then like magic she transformed into the gentle and warm-hearted Luna she usually was. She had pulled Ann into a squishy hug. 

When he had asked her to accompany Ann to the hospital, Luna hadn’t hesitated. She said yes on the spot and she had ensured David that she would take good care of Ann. He felt a bit better that Ann had Luna to support her, but the worry in his stomach had been growing every minute he wasn’t close to her.

When he stepped into the green room, searching for the one person he had longed to see all day, he only found Adam, and in the corner, Luna, speaking with two police officers. When Luna’s eyes fell upon David they filled with tears and she started sobbing. 

“I’m so sorry David…” she said and buried her face in her hands. 

He felt his chest tighten up and his pulse race. 

“Luna, what happened?” he asked while he placed his arms around her. She put her head against his chest. 

“Oh David, it’s horrible… I am so sorry… I should have…”  

“Mr. Haydn-Jones?” One of the police officers walked towards him. He was tall, wide shouldered and had an appearance that reminded David of an aggressive Bulldog. He didn’t like the guy one bit. 

“Yes?” 

“I am Officer McNealy, and this is my partner Officer Fields.” He said, pointing at a younger and much more appealing female officer. “Do you know the whereabouts of Miss Ann Nielsen?” he barked at David. 

“Yes, I a… Wait what? Is Ann missing?” David pulled Luna away while feeling the nausea rise in is throat. 

“Yes, at the moment, we don’t know where Miss Nielsen is,” said the partner to Officer Bulldog. Maybe she was supposed to be the good cop.  

“Luna? What are they talking about?” David didn’t believe his own ears. 

“Earlier today she left the hospital and we haven’t been able to locate her since. “Officer Bulldog continued. “Do you know where she is?” 

David felt sick. He couldn’t believe this was happening again. 

“Answer me!” Bulldog barked once again. 

“No! I don’t know where Ann is! If I bloody knew, don’t you think I would tell you!” David could feel his temper boiling and took a step towards the officer. He clenched his hands and was about to hit the dumbass cop, just as strong arms held him back.  

“Easy mate,” Adam said beside him. “Officer McNealy, we have been occupied all day with fans. We don’t know where Ann is.” 

“Okay, fine! But you need to call us at once if she gets in touch, Capiché?” Bulldog continued.  

David stood frozen to the floor. He knew that if he moved even an inch his fist would break Officer Bulldog’s nose and he would probably be carried away in handcuffs.  

“Of course,” Adam replied.  

“Here’s my card,” Officer Fields said with an apologetic smile.  

Officer McNealy was already on the way out the door and Fields followed him quickly. 

Adam had let go of David and now he tried to comfort a heartbroken Luna. 

David stood as a salt support and tried to get a collection on himself. He could not go through this again, not so soon.  

“David, I am so sorry…” Luna dried the tears from her eyes. “It is all my fault.” 

He took a deep breath and walked over and sat on one of the chairs by the large round table in the middle of the room. His head was spinning, and he couldn’t breathe. He placed his head between his legs and took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. 

“Davey, are you okay?” Adam came over and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“No.” Was the only thing he could muster.  

“It’s my fault…” said Luna and sat down on the chair besides him. “I should never have left her alone.” 

“What happened Luna? Why did you leave her alone?” He said, trying not to sound to reproachful. “Please tell me everything.” 

"Oh my Chuck, it was horrible David. What they put that poor girl through." She had tears in her eyes again. 

"I took her to the hospital and of course they wanted to know what had happened to her and I explained what I could... they looked surprised and one of the doctors left and I didn't think much of it. Then the examinations began. First her throat, bruises, and then the gynecology examination. All through it she just looked so scared. Then waiting time and after an hour the hospital therapist to come to talk to her. She seemed nice and she tried to uncover what happened. 

 Then after a couple of hours two policemen came to interrogate her. The douchebag you just met and his partner. He was such a assbutt and he acted like she had committed a crime. That she wasn't the victim. He yelled at her asking where she had been and what happened. Luckily the therapist came to her rescue and told the police to get lost and we would contact them tomorrow. The doctor came in and said they wanted to keep her overnight but she didn't take that well. You could see how terrified she was to be left there. The look she gave me was heart breaking… I… “Luna ran a hand through her hair. 

“Please continue,” David said, although he didn’t know if he could endure much more. 

“So, I asked if I could bring her home to sleep and back tomorrow for the results of tests. The therapist agreed, that it would be best for her. But at that point Ann had scratched her wrist so badly in anxiety so they had to bandage her and the doctors wouldn’t let her leave. They sedated her and asked me to come back tomorrow…” 

David couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up abruptly and walked over to the window. The darkness had settled over the city and somewhere out there Ann was all alone. She had been through another hell today, and once again he hadn’t been there for her. He was so far away in his thoughts, that he didn’t hear much of what Luna told them. 

“… until Officer Assbutt showed up and told us that she had disappeared from the hospital.” 

“When did they say she left?” Adam asked. 

“Within the last couple of hours.” 

“Maybe she will show up here?”  

“I don’t think so, mate. I have let her down so many times, so why on earth should she come back to me?” David said, while feeling the hopelessness filling him up. “I am probably the last person on earth she wants to see now.” 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Davey. I am sure Ann knows that this wasn’t your fault.” 

“Right, because it wasn’t me that convinced her to go to the hospital this morning. It wasn’t me that begged her to go and promised her, that she would be safe and nothing bad would happen.” David snapped at his friend. 

Adam stood up, walked over and stood beside him. 

“Mate, you just wanted, what was best for h…” 

“And is this what’s best for her?” He almost yelled. “She’s out there somewhere on her own, again!” A headache was sneaking up on him. He had to do something. He couldn’t just be standing here waiting for news.  

“They will find her,” Luna said, not sounding like she was even convinced herself. “I gave them your number in case they have any updates.” 

“Great.” David muttered.  

“Maybe we should just go back to the hotel and wait?” Adam cautiously asked. 

“Yeah, it’s late. You and Luna should go back to the hotel.” 

“What about you mate?” 

He honestly didn’t know what he was doing. David just knew that he at least had to try and find her. 

“I’ll go out and see if I can find her.” 

“We’ll go with you,” Luna said and stood up. 

“No. you two can go back to the hotel and see if she turns up there. Call me if she does.” David walked over to the corner and grabbed his jacket, that had been hanging over the back of a chair. “I will be back in a couple of hours.” 

He left the Green room before they could react. He called Lou, his driver and asked him to meet him by the car. Lou was an elderly man in his mid-sixties. His humor was very similar to David’s and they had hit it off from the get-go.  

“Ready to go back to the hotel?” 

“No Lou, not yet.” David said, when Lou opened the door for him. 

“Okay, where to then?”  

“Uhm, would you mind if I borrowed the car for a while?” 

“Sure thing, Sir.” 

“Lou, we’ve been through this. David or Davey…” 

“Sure thing, David,” Lou said and threw the keys to him. “You can just park in the garage at the hotel and leave the keys, at the front desk.” 

“Great, you’re the best Lou.” 

“G’night,” Lou said and started walking towards the front entrance. 

David found the car quick and was on his way. 

 

David left the keys for Lou at the front desk before heading to his room. His head was hurting from the fall and he was getting a headache. It had begun raining while he was out searching and he was cold and wet because of it.

He loosened his tie and took of his jacket, throwing it over his shoulder. 

Ann had been nowhere to be found and as much as he wanted to search for her all night, he was just too exhausted. He needed a shower and some sleep. Tomorrow he would call the police and hear if they had any leads, but for now he just wanted to crawl into bed and forget about this day. 

When he turned around the corner of the hallway to his room his heart skipped a beat. Right there, beside the door, Ann was sitting with her head resting on her knees.  

“Oh my Chuck, Ann!” David exclaimed and hurried down the hall to her. 

Ann looked up at him with a tired smile. She stood up with a bit of difficulty and as soon as David reached her, he embraced her in his arms and pulled her close. He didn’t even think twice when his lips found hers and he laid all his worry and desperation in that one kiss. 

At first, Ann didn’t push him away. She let her hands follow his neck up through his hair, reaching the spot where he had hit his head, and when he winced, she placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed him back. She looked at the small bloodstains on her fingers and then up at David with a worried look. 

“Let’s go inside, and I will tell you what happened,” he said while catching his breath.  

He opened the door and let her go in first. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.  

When he entered the room, Ann was standing by the end of the bed. She pointed at David and then the bed. He decided it was best doing what he was told, so he sat down and looked up at her. She tilted her head and a tiny smile appeared on her lips. 

“Do you find my pain amusing love?” he said with a tired smile. 

 She bowed down and kissed his forehead before turning around and disappearing into the bathroom. He could hear her opening and closing cupboards and then the water running. When she returned to him, she was carrying a bowl with cotton, which she had soaked in water and a towel.  

Ann walked over and stood in front of him, spreading his legs with her knees so that she could get closer. She handed David the bowl with water and cotton before she threw the towel on the bed besides him. She then gently pushed his head a little bit forward, which made his forehead brush against her chest. David closed his eyes and enjoyed the soft feeling, but the joy was brief. When the first cotton pad touched his head, he winched. Ann stopped, took a step back and looked at him with a serious expression. 

“It’s okay, keep going,” he said with a small smile. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Ann, I am okay. Just a bit sore, that’s all love.” 

She let her hand slide down his cheek, while she mimed  _talk_. He knew that she wanted him to tell her what happened with his head. 

“Okay, well you weren’t in the Green Room when I was done for the day. Instead the cops were waiting and when they told me you were missing I… I … Oh Ann, I got so scared. I couldn’t believe that you were gone again… Don’t you EVER disappear like that again! I will put you over my knee. I am not kidding!” He said, while putting the bowl down on the bed and pulling her closer. “I can’t bear to lose you like that again, okay?” 

She nodded and mimed  _go on._  

“I borrowed a car and went out to the bridge, where you saved my life yesterday. Oh my, it seems like longer ago... Anyway, it was dark, but it seemed like someone was sitting down by the water. I called your name but got no answer. Then I went down to look and the shadow I thought was you started disappearing, so I started to run. The stones were slippery, and I fell on my huge head… I must have been gone for a while, because when I came to it had started to rain, hence the wet hair. I went straight home after that and there you where…” 

Ann grabbed the bowl with water and the towel from the bed and placed it on the desk. Then she went over and sat down beside him on the bed. She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. 

“Oh Ann, I have died a million times today. You got me so scared. All I really want to do is take you in my arms and never let go. But you have been through so much, and I… I can’t bear the thought of hurting you. I don’t know what to do…I wish you could talk. Tell me what to do,” he rambled on.  

Ann stood up without letting go of his hand. She gently pulled it to show him that she wanted him to stand up and so he did. When she started opening the top button of his shirt he held his breath and waited. She continued and when she had opened the last one, she lifted the shirt off his shoulders and down to the floor. When she began to open his belt buckle, he stopped her by taking her hands in his.

“Love, I… I don’t think that is a good idea. Don’t get me wrong but with all…”

Ann had freed her hands from his and placed a finger over his lips to silence him. She had a small smile in the right side of her mouth. He let his hands fall and was anxious, but also exited to find out what was on her mind.

She returned to the buckle and opened it, then the button in his pants and lastly, she unzipped them. Then she pointed at them, his shoes and then a chair.

“Uhm…you want me to take them off?”

She nodded and walked past him and then disappeared out into the bathroom with the bowl with bloody cotton pads. David stood a frozen for a moment, while a million thoughts went through his mind. What was she thinking? What if he misunderstood what she was doing?

He could hear moving around in the bathroom but had no idea what she was doing. He took a deep breath and decided to do as she had gestured and take it from there. He sat down on the bed and untied his shoes, before he took them off. Then he took of the purple and red striped socks. It had kind off become his thing with the colorful socks. His fans loved them and so did he. He stood up again and took of his pants and threw them on the chair, with he socks.

Ann returned to the bedroom dressed in the same outfit, that she slept in the previous night and David let small sigh out. He suddenly felt so tired and his head was hurting. She stopped in front of him and handed him two small white pills and a glass of water.

“Painkillers for my head?” He asked, and she responded with a nod and a smile. “Thank you.” He took the pills, drank the water and sat the glass down on the desk. “What now?”

She went over to the left side of the bed and pulled aside the duvet and pointed at the bed.

“You want me to lie down there?” he said, pointing at himself.

She nodded as reply.

 “Okay.” He did as he was told and lied down. Ann pulled the duvet up, so it covered his body. Then she walked over to the other side of the bed and crawled under the duvet, turned her back to him and turned off the light.

David couldn’t help feeling a bit uneased. He needed to feel her close, to hold her tight and be sure she was okay. And okay the kiss and undressing had let him to hope for more. He sighed and turn to the side, so he was facing her back.

Ann let out a big sigh and then he could feel her moving, she moved closer to him until her back was touching his naked chest. Then she reached back and searched for his right hand until she found it, then she braided her fingers into his and pulled his arm around her, so he was embracing her. She lifted her head, so he could slide his other arm under it, so she could rest on it. Gently he pulled her closer.

Lying there with his arms swept around her, he finally felt relieved. The fear and hopelessness had vanished and pounding in his head didn’t matter anything if she was safe right beside him.

 Her fingers caressing his arm and her steady breath lulled him into sleep. 


End file.
